COLLABORATIVE TECHNOLOGY PROJECT

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Instructions​ ​for​ ​Assignment​ ​3,​ ​Task​ ​#3:​ ​Final​ ​Report Abdelrasoul,​ ​Abubakr​ ​&​ ​Delafe,​ ​Kennia IDE611 December​ ​8,​ ​2017

COLLABORATIVE​ ​TECHNOLOGY​ ​PROJECT

IDE​ ​611:​ ​TECHNOLOGIES​ ​FOR​ ​INSTRUCTIONAL​ ​SETTING

Name:​ ​Abubakr​ ​Abdelrasoul,​ ​Kennia​ ​Delafe

Schoology.com​ ​for​ ​ESL​ ​(English​ ​as​ ​a​ ​Second​ ​Language)​ ​Adult​ ​Learners

Introduction

This project aimed to support Adult ESL learners in their English language continuing

education during and after classroom instruction using technology as the platform learning tool.

With this focus, we proposed to use ​www.schoology.com​, a free Learning Management System

(LMS) tool that uncovers a set of new-preconceived learning experiences, to be used as an

extension of the classroom instructions. Schoology allows adult learners, in a user-friendly way,

to practice English, assess their learnings, and keeping a direct connection with classmates and

teachers from any computer, tablet, or smartphone with Internet access. On the other hand,

Schoology enables instructors to create, manage, and share content and resources with their

students and colleagues. Teachers can follow their adult learners progress synchronously or

asynchronously by using their smart devices as well. We also proposed that the adoption of this

LMS project could enhance any adult ESL education classroom by increasing the number of time

students could spend practicing English on their self-pace and increase of students’ technology

skills. For this end, learning outcomes can be reflected in students’ English level advancement,

job​ ​placement,​ ​and​ ​continuing​ ​education​ ​in​ ​the​ ​long​ ​run.

The project team is composed by Abubakr Abdelrasoul who is an electronics and computer

systems engineer with over eight years of experience in electronics, software, and management

fields. Coming from a third world country, Abubakr is interested in applying technology in

educational contexts to increase access to quality education, reduce costs, and promote open

source tools. The other team member is Kennia Delafe, an Adult ESL teacher with more than

fifteen years of experience working in different areas in the adult ESL education field. Her

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Abdullah Albelehy
Abdullah Albelehy

Instructions​ ​for​ ​Assignment​ ​3,​ ​Task​ ​#3:​ ​Final​ ​Report Abdelrasoul,​ ​Abubakr​ ​&​ ​Delafe,​ ​Kennia IDE611 December​ ​8,​ ​2017

primary focus is to help adult learners to learn English and get acquaintance in their new learning

and living community, but also, to close technology knowledge and skills gap to become

self-sufficient in this rapid-advancing technological era. Both team members are currently

students​ ​in​ ​the​ ​IDE:611​ ​Technology​ ​for​ ​Instructional​ ​Settings​ ​course​ ​at​ ​Syracuse​ ​University.

The implementation and evaluation process was done by the collaboration of Kennia Delafe,

Adult ESL Teacher, and Soon Young Kong, also Adult Education Teacher. Both teachers

worked in setting up the logistics of including English Butterfly LMS within the hours of

instruction​ ​and​ ​as​ ​part​ ​of​ ​the​ ​students’​ ​homework.

Needs​ ​assessment

The needs assessment revealed the definite need for such tool in the adult ESL education

model. From experience in adult education and from asking other professionals’ opinion, English

as a Second Language adult learners have insufficient time to learn and practice English in a

classroom setting which is restricted by time and place as well. As a result, learning takes longer

than it should and achieved results are not as high as teachers will like it to be. Besides,

education gets interrupted by many other adult responsibilities, and it is not always easy to find

ways to continue study. Schoology gives learners the chance to learn, practice, and access

learning material without any time or geographical restrictions. To stimulate their interest in

pursuing their education outside of the classroom, the adoption of this new technology may

motivate students to keep improving their English skills by practicing its four domains, writing,

reading,​ ​listening,​ ​and​ ​speaking.

Goals​ ​and​ ​objectives​ ​of​ ​the​ ​project

The purpose of this project was to implement an accessible learning management system in

an ESL learning context to overcome limitations of traditional ESL adult classrooms and to

extend​ ​the​ ​opportunities​ ​for​ ​learning.

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Abdullah Albelehy

Instructions​ ​for​ ​Assignment​ ​3,​ ​Task​ ​#3:​ ​Final​ ​Report Abdelrasoul,​ ​Abubakr​ ​&​ ​Delafe,​ ​Kennia IDE611 December​ ​8,​ ​2017

Objectives

This project, the development of the Schoology learning management system, enabled ESL

adult​ ​learners​ ​and​ ​teachers​ ​to:

● ​ ​Learn​ ​English​ ​with​ ​no​ ​time​ ​or​ ​place​ ​restrictions

● Develop​ ​technological​ ​skill​ ​for​ ​both​ ​learners​ ​and​ ​instructors

● Create meaningful online lessons and assessments focusing on significant learning

problems

● Monitor​ ​and​ ​follow​ ​their​ ​student’s​ ​progress​ ​and​ ​take​ ​corrective​ ​actions​ ​when​ ​needed

● Provide​ ​user-friendly​ ​learning​ ​tools​ ​in​ ​one​ ​place

● Provide​ ​instructors​ ​with​ ​an​ ​easy​ ​to​ ​use​ ​tracking​ ​and​ ​reporting​ ​tool

Target​ ​audience

The students, who are participating in the testing of the LMS, are refugees who come from

different countries. This group of students in the English Level 2 class came from Central

America and the Caribbean Islands, Asia, and Africa. This course is composed of twenty-five

students, all from different knowledge background, their English level fluctuates in the beginning

English​ ​range,​ ​and​ ​their​ ​technology​ ​skills​ ​also​ ​varies​ ​from​ ​limited​ ​to​ ​advanced.

The project also targeted ESL teachers that will like to promote continuing ESL education

outside​ ​of​ ​the​ ​classrooms​ ​and​ ​the​ ​use​ ​of​ ​technology​ ​as​ ​an​ ​instrument​ ​of​ ​learning.

Technology​ ​or​ ​technologies​ ​to​ ​be​ ​used

This project engaged the targeted audience in using a variety of techniques. Personal

computers, tablets, smartphones, and virtual technology with the use of the www.schoology.com

site or “online classroom” can be accessed from any school computer lab, library computers,

from home or by using other smart devices. Because of the nature of the ESL adult learners, it is

essential to clarify that all hardware used to access to the English practices must have internet

access.

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Abdullah Albelehy

Instructions​ ​for​ ​Assignment​ ​3,​ ​Task​ ​#3:​ ​Final​ ​Report Abdelrasoul,​ ​Abubakr​ ​&​ ​Delafe,​ ​Kennia IDE611 December​ ​8,​ ​2017

The use of these technologies made the perfect combination to create a system that adult ESL

students are using to improve their English by accessing and using teacher-created resources at

no additional cost. Participating students are now able to own and manage their English skills

and knowledge acquisition at their speed and can expand their technical skills as an accidental

learning. Students have the opportunity to improve their listening, reading, speaking, and writing

skills in English with the use of hands-on exercises, videos, vocabulary drills, flashcards, and

more. Besides, having access to an online classroom on-site, students can bring it home.

Therefore, learning is reaching out those, that for various reasons cannot go to school to learn or

improve​ ​their​ ​English,​ ​to​ ​become​ ​part​ ​of​ ​our​ ​distance​ ​English-learning​ ​community.

Teachers, on the other hand, Kennia Delafe and Soon Young Kong, had the opportunity to

design their own-private online classroom by using their limited or advanced technology skills

for free. The opportunities to expand their creativity and knowledge while creating meaningful

lessons that students can use to review concepts learned while away from the classroom, are

endless. It’s worth mentioning that teachers organized content by creating folders, upload

previous-created lessons, linking outside sources into the courses, and developing quizzes and

activities. Teachers are also able to communicate news quickly, have students chat about specific

topics adding discussion sessions, create photo albums from classroom pictures, download useful

apps into courses, connect with other teachers for resources within the same platform, and much

more.

Challenges​ ​faced

Schoology is an excellent LMS platform with many features and possesses a user-friendly

environment. However, Schoology is a tool at the end of the day, facilitates learning and makes

it easier, but a significant component is its content and quality. Deciding on the right material,

with our students’ low English and computer skills in mind was difficult and time-consuming.

Ideally, the content must cover all four-English-language skills in reading, writing, listen, and

speaking. Fortunately, we managed to organize and prepare suitable material for the first three

skills, that is Reading, Writing, and Listening. We relied on free and open-source content from

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Abdullah Albelehy

Instructions​ ​for​ ​Assignment​ ​3,​ ​Task​ ​#3:​ ​Final​ ​Report Abdelrasoul,​ ​Abubakr​ ​&​ ​Delafe,​ ​Kennia IDE611 December​ ​8,​ ​2017

the Internet rather than developing it from scratch. The resources we used were YouTube,

Quizlet, Mindmeister, and Azar Grammar to compile and create some more study materials

samplers.

For the Speaking acquisition skill, Schoology might not be of great help as this ability

requires synchronous interaction whether face-to-face or online. Therefore, having in mind that

the primary goal of English Butterfly LMS is to expand English learning outside of the

classroom and not to replace it, we decided to address more of the speaking during class sessions

instead of online. However, due to many petitions from students, we included some YouTube

videos that target some of the most common pronunciation issues among students as a

pronunciation​ ​model​ ​for​ ​them​ ​to​ ​practice​ ​by​ ​repeating/​ ​mimicking​ ​each​ ​of​ ​the​ ​given​ ​practices.

Another problem that we encounter was the amount of time that training in the use of

Schoology took for this group of students due to their limited technology skills. As it was

explained before, our audience is a group of a multi-English level and multi-technology skills

student. This problem had impacted the way training had been delivered. Instead of

teacher-centered instruction with the use of visuals and step by step materials, it was more of a

peer-to-peer teaching and cooperation. Skilled students in the technology area helped others to

register, sign in and out, sign in again, and explore content following visual/written direction in a

handout.​ ​Still,​ ​even​ ​though​ ​it​ ​took​ ​a​ ​long​ ​time,​ ​it​ ​was​ ​and​ ​continue​ ​being​ ​a​ ​success.

The lack of proper hardware at home for students to use our online classroom was another

issue. As students started to engage in this project, always remembering that their English is

limited and we cannot give them too much information at a time, we started asking for resources

that they could use at home to continue practicing. Around 40 % of the class has a computer or a

tablet ready to use with internet access. The other 60% or so, do not have the proper hardware to

practice. Therefore, we asked if they have a smartphone with an active internet connection and

this was successful. Consequently, we added another step to this process; to download the

Schoology app into their phone while on school grounds WiFi was active and taught them using

hands-on practice how to use their mobile so they could continue studying English using English

Butterfly​ ​LMS​ ​while​ ​at​ ​home.

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Abdullah Albelehy

Instructions​ ​for​ ​Assignment​ ​3,​ ​Task​ ​#3:​ ​Final​ ​Report Abdelrasoul,​ ​Abubakr​ ​&​ ​Delafe,​ ​Kennia IDE611 December​ ​8,​ ​2017

Results

The objective of this project was to implement an online learning management system (LMS)

to overcome limitations of traditional ESL adult classrooms and extend the opportunities for

learning with no time or place restrictions. We also wanted to conceive this MLS to help adult

learners and teachers in the development of technology skills to have access to meaningful

lessons and assessments, to monitor students’ progress and learning engagement, to learn new

user-friendly learning tools, and to provide instructors with an effortless way of tracking and

reporting students’ learning exposure outside of the classroom hours. We are happy to say that

these objectives were met promptly (see Appendix A) and the English Butterfly Management

Learning​ ​System​ ​is​ ​up​ ​and​ ​successfully​ ​running​ ​(see​ ​Appendix​ ​B).

At this point, twenty out of twenty-five students in Kennia’s ESL classroom are registered in

the English Butterfly online classroom and fourteen are often engaged in many of the learning

activities that the site provides. Therefore, we got to the conclusion that the structure and content

we developed are meaningful and easy to navigate for our adult learners. The structure that we

arranged for students to manage has been successfully understood and is being used. And the

given training and classroom support with technology have reinforced our adult learners abilities

efficiently​ ​to​ ​lead​ ​their​ ​new​ ​way​ ​of​ ​learning.

The responses we obtained from our students are above expectations, and they have shown

motivation to begin and continue learning by actively interacting with the content during evening

hours and weekends (see Appendix C). Also, many adult learners have expressed that their

computer skills seem better than before and this shown by their participation in the online

classroom and the questions they bring to class after practice. Overall, we are delighted with the

product and its outcomes. We think that the continued used of this LMS will help adult learners

to​ ​overcome​ ​many​ ​of​ ​their​ ​English​ ​language​ ​barriers​ ​in​ ​the​ ​near​ ​future.

Things to have in mind for future implementation of a LMS or while training of other

professionals in the creation, implementation, and evaluation of a similar learning platform, is to

assess the needs and skills of the targeted audience better to be able to plan the implementation

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Abdullah Albelehy

Instructions​ ​for​ ​Assignment​ ​3,​ ​Task​ ​#3:​ ​Final​ ​Report Abdelrasoul,​ ​Abubakr​ ​&​ ​Delafe,​ ​Kennia IDE611 December​ ​8,​ ​2017

phase in a way that the time used will be more realistic. For our project, we designed the

implementation phase way too far from the reality and in our way we encounter difficulties that

delay the proposed schedule. However, it did not slow the expected outcomes. A possible

solution we thought about, was to overlap content preparation and training. Therefore, by the

time students are fully trained in the use of the LMS, the content is already created for them to

use.​ ​In​ ​this​ ​way,​ ​possible​ ​delays​ ​in​ ​students’​ ​fully​ ​engagement​ ​and​ ​practice​ ​will​ ​be​ ​eliminated.

Reflection​ ​on​ ​the​ ​Experience

During the development of this project we didn’t encounter too many challenges, although

agreeing on and finding content that could be used as a self-paced study, bearing in mind the

level of English and technology skills of the target audience, yet, was crucial and challenging.

On the other hand, the way the team cooperated and worked together was satisfactory helping to

move​ ​on​ ​through​ ​the​ ​different​ ​phases​ ​of​ ​the​ ​project​ ​in​ ​a​ ​smooth​ ​direction.

We have learned, from the responses we have seen and the number of hours that learners are

putting into studying English outside of the limited three-hour-classes, that technology has

tremendous power in education if it is finely developed. We also found out how motivated

students were to learn and enhance their language with the use of this user-friendly tool

accessible everywhere they have an internet connection. Also, teachers in the implementation

and evaluation phase were very motivated to use this new addition to their class because of all

this new window of learning opportunities for their students. Motivation, in general, has been

one of the fundamental keys to the success of this project. Besides, proper planning,

management, and flexibility throughout the process of development and design of the LMS

project played a fundamental role in getting outstanding outcomes as well. At this time it is

essential to bring up that the team agrees on the fact that the use of technology in the adult ESL

classroom enhances students’ learning and gives them a whole new set of skills that they need to

survive in this digital era. Furthermore, our approach to collaboration and implementation of our

LMS project assisted educators and students involved in the understanding of the importance of

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Abdullah Albelehy

Instructions​ ​for​ ​Assignment​ ​3,​ ​Task​ ​#3:​ ​Final​ ​Report Abdelrasoul,​ ​Abubakr​ ​&​ ​Delafe,​ ​Kennia IDE611 December​ ​8,​ ​2017

learning and using technology in the ESL adult education. The results we obtained are very

encouraging​ ​to​ ​continue​ ​promoting​ ​the​ ​use​ ​of​ ​LMS​ ​in​ ​the​ ​adult​ ​ESL​ ​education​ ​system.

We believe that our future jobs can be enhanced with the skills and knowledge we have

acquired as result of this project. Kennia has mentioned that she will continue using and

developing the English Butterfly LMS and train future students in its use in her next teachings.

Besides, Kennia already raised the learning performance gap due to the lack of technology

knowledge among other teachers to the facilitator in the school she works. Her goal is to present

this project and its outcomes to support a possible solution idea to close the learning gap between

teachers and students. She also mentioned that next year, she would present English Butterfly

LMS and its results in the NYACCE (New York Association for Continuing/ Community

Education) as an example of how technology can help adult ESL students in improving their

English​ ​skills​ ​to​ ​promote​ ​its​ ​use​ ​among​ ​education​ ​professionals​ ​in​ ​the​ ​area​ ​of​ ​adult​ ​education.

Abubakr mentioned that this could bring a new spectrum of teaching and learning

opportunities in his county’s schools. Furthermore, upon his return, he will be looking into

possibilities​ ​of​ ​implementing​ ​this​ ​idea​ ​in​ ​his​ ​hometown​ ​schools.

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Abdullah Albelehy

Instructions​ ​for​ ​Assignment​ ​3,​ ​Task​ ​#3:​ ​Final​ ​Report Abdelrasoul,​ ​Abubakr​ ​&​ ​Delafe,​ ​Kennia IDE611 December​ ​8,​ ​2017

APPENDICES

Appendix​ ​A

Time​ ​Management​ ​Plan​ ​​ ​for​ ​the​ ​project

October​ ​9th-​ ​Initial​ ​Proposal,​ ​Done!

10/16 - ​www.schoology.com online classroom setup (Course Name and Section), selection of

ESL​ ​materials​ ​to​ ​be​ ​use​ ​in​ ​the​ ​course,​ ​​Done!

10/23 - ​Course folders set up, grading system period setup, and instructional materials for

registration​ ​and​ ​use​ ​of​ ​the​ ​site​ ​done,​ ​​Done!

10/30 - 11/6 ESL course instructional materials, exercises and quizzes done, work on

progress​ ​report​ ​and​ ​start​ ​recruiting​ ​students​ ​and​ ​teachers​ ​for​ ​online​ ​classroom​ ​testing,​ ​​Done!

November​ ​11th​ ​-​ ​Progress​ ​Report,​ ​Done!

11/20 - Initial online classroom testing, continue working on instructional materials and

learning​ ​assessment,​ ​record​ ​online​ ​classroom​ ​challenges​ ​and​ ​needs​ ​for​ ​changes,​ ​​Done!

11/27 - Work on online classroom, use data analysis, ultimate changes, complete online

classroom details, record online classroom user's’ input, continue working on final

submission​ ​paper,​ ​​Done!

12/4 - ​www.schoology.com LMS ready to be adopted, work on final project paper details,

Done!

December​ ​8th​ ​-​ ​Final​ ​submission,​ ​Done!

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Abdullah Albelehy

Instructions​ ​for​ ​Assignment​ ​3,​ ​Task​ ​#3:​ ​Final​ ​Report Abdelrasoul,​ ​Abubakr​ ​&​ ​Delafe,​ ​Kennia IDE611 December​ ​8,​ ​2017

Appendix​ ​B

Final​ ​Product

Site​ ​link:​ ​​http://app.schoology.com/register.php?type=instructor

Username:​​ ​​kdelafe@syr.edu

Password:​​ ​Kabu611

Logo:

Home​ ​Page

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Abdullah Albelehy
Abdullah Albelehy
Abdullah Albelehy

Instructions​ ​for​ ​Assignment​ ​3,​ ​Task​ ​#3:​ ​Final​ ​Report Abdelrasoul,​ ​Abubakr​ ​&​ ​Delafe,​ ​Kennia IDE611 December​ ​8,​ ​2017

Appendix​ ​C

Overall​ ​course​ ​analytics​ ​for​ ​the​ ​past​ ​thirty​ ​days​ ​(November​ ​8th​ ​-​ ​December​ ​7th,​ ​2017)

Course​ ​analytics​ ​by​ ​discussion​ ​assignments​ ​(November​ ​8th​ ​-​ ​December​ ​7th,​ ​2017)

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Abdullah Albelehy

Instructions​ ​for​ ​Assignment​ ​3,​ ​Task​ ​#3:​ ​Final​ ​Report Abdelrasoul,​ ​Abubakr​ ​&​ ​Delafe,​ ​Kennia IDE611 December​ ​8,​ ​2017

Sample​ ​of​ ​course​ ​analytics​ ​by​ ​links​ ​used​ ​(November​ ​8th​ ​-​ ​December​ ​7th,​ ​2017)

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Abdullah Albelehy